Patent application title: HEAT-DISSIPATING MODULE

Abstract:

A heat-dissipating module adapted for cooling a heat-generating element is
provided. The heat-dissipating module includes a fin module, a fan and a
heat pipe. The fan is adapted for generating an air current. The fin
module includes a plurality of first fins and a plurality of second fins.
Each first fin includes a first edge facing the fan. The first edges are
located on a first surface. Each second fin includes a second edge facing
the fan. The second edges are located on a second surface not coinciding
with the first surface. The air current passes through the first surface
and the second surface and then passes by the first fins and the second
fins. The heat pipe includes a first end thermally coupled to the
heat-generating element, and a second end thermally coupled to the first
fins and the second fins.

Claims:

1. A heat-dissipating module adapted for cooling a heat-generating
element, comprising:a fan adapted for generating an air current;a fin
module, comprising:a plurality of first fins, wherein each of the first
fins has a first edge facing the fan, and each of the first fins has the
same length, and the first edges are located on a first surface; anda
plurality of second fins, wherein each of the second fins has a second
edge facing the fan, and each of the second fins has the same length, the
second edges are located on a second surface not coinciding with the
first surface; anda heat pipe, wherein a first end of the heat pipe is
thermally coupled to the heat-generating element, and a second end of the
heat pipe is thermally coupled to the first fins and the second
fins,wherein the first fins and the second fins have equal lengths and
are alternately arranged, and each of the first edges has an arc shape.

2-4. (canceled)

5. The heat-dissipating module of claim 1, wherein each of the second
edges has a straight shape, an arc shape, a serrated shape, or a wavy
shape.

6. (canceled)

7. The heat-dissipating module of claim 1, further comprising a casing
having an accommodating space and an outlet, wherein the fan is disposed
in the accommodating space, the outlet corresponds to the first surface
and the second surface, and the air current passes through the outlet.

8. The heat-dissipating module of claim 1, wherein the second end of the
heat pipe passes through the first fins and the second fins.

9. (canceled)

10. A heat-dissipating module adapted for cooling a heat-generating
element, comprising:a fan adapted for generating an air current;a fin
module, comprising:a plurality of first fins, wherein each of the first
fins has a first edge facing the fan, and each of the first fins has the
same length, and the first edges are located on a first surface; anda
plurality of second fins, wherein each of the second fins has a second
edge facing the fan, and each of the second fins has the same length, the
second edges are located on a second surface not coinciding with the
first surface; anda heat pipe, wherein a first end of the heat pipe is
thermally coupled to the heat-generating element, and a second end of the
heat pipe is thermally coupled to the first fins and the second
fins,wherein the length of the first fins is larger than the length of
the second fins, and the first fins and the second fins are alternately
arranged, and the first edges have a serrated shape.

11. The heat-dissipating module of claim 10, wherein each of the second
edges has an arc shape, a serrated shape, or a wavy shape.

12. The heat-dissipating module of claim 10, further comprising a casing
having an accommodating space and an outlet, wherein the fan is disposed
in the accommodating space, the outlet corresponds to the first surface
and the second surface, and the air current passes through the outlet

13. The heat-dissipating module of claim 10, wherein the second end of the
heat pipe passes through the first fins and the second fins.

[0003]The present invention relates to a heat-dissipating module, and more
particularly, to a heat-dissipating module with fins.

[0004]2. Description of Related Art

[0005]With rapid advance of computer technology in recent years, computers
are made to operate at higher frequency, and a heat generation rate of
each of electronic elements in a computer host has become greater and
greater. To avoid temporary or permanent failure of the electronic
elements in the computer host due to overheat, dissipating the heat
generated by the electronic elements in the computer host is of critical
importance.

[0006]Taking a central processing unit (CPU) as an example, when the
temperature of the CPU itself exceeds its normal operating temperature
during operation at high frequency, operation errors or temporary
failures of the CPU will probably occur, resulting in a crash of the
computer host. In addition, when the temperature of the CPU itself is
much higher than its normal operating temperature, transistors in the CPU
will be probably damaged, resulting in the permanent failure of the CPU.

[0007]FIG. 1A is a three-dimensional exploded view of a conventional
heat-dissipating module, and FIG. 1B is a three-dimensional assembled
view of the heat-dissipating module of FIG. 1A. As shown in FIGS. 1A and
1B, the conventional heat-dissipating module 100 is adapted for cooling a
heat-generating element 10. The heat-dissipating module 100 includes a
fin module 110, a fan 120, a heat pipe 130, a casing 140 and a
heat-conducting element 150. The fin module 110 includes a plurality of
fins 114. Each fin 114 has an edge 114a and each edge 114a facing the fan
120 is straight. The edges 114a of the fins 114 are located on a plane
112. The fan 120 is disposed in an accommodating space 142 of the casing
140 and adjacent to the plane 112.

[0008]An outlet 144 of the casing 140 corresponds to the plane 112 in such
a manner that an air current 122 generated by the fan 120 may flow
through the outlet 144 and the plane 112 and then into a clearance 116
formed between each two adjacent fins 114. In addition, the heat pipe 130
includes a first end 132 and a second end 134. The first end 132 is
thermally coupled to the heat-generating element 10 through the
heat-conducting element 150, and the second end 134 passing through the
fins 114 is thermally coupled to the fins 114.

[0009]With the development of the computers toward miniaturization, the
room for the heat-dissipating module 100 is becoming smaller and smaller.
However, a minimum distance between the fan 120 and the plane 112 must be
maintained to be larger than a predetermined value, or the turbulence
occurring at the plane 112 becomes even worse to increase the noise
during operation of the fan 120. Therefore, to meet the requirements of
the miniaturization of the heat-dissipating module 100 without increasing
the noise, the conventional solution is to reduce the size of the fan 120
or reduce the length 114b of each fin 114. However, any of the above
solutions may degrade the heat-dissipating capacity of the
heat-dissipating module 100.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010]The present invention is directed to a heat-dissipating module with
low noise and good heat-dissipating capacity.

[0011]The present invention provides a heat-dissipating module adapted for
cooling a heat-generating element. The heat-dissipating module comprises
a fin module, a fan and a heat pipe. The fan is adapted for generating an
air current. The fin module comprises a plurality of first fins and a
plurality of second fins. Each of the first fins has a first edge facing
the fan. The first edges are located on a first surface. Each of the
second fins has a second edge facing the fan. The second edges are
located on a second surface not coinciding with the first surface. The
air current passes through the first surface and the second surface and
then passes by the first fins and the second fins. A first end of the
heat pipe is thermally coupled to the heat-generating element, and a
second end of the heat pipe is thermally coupled to the first fins and
the second fins.

[0012]According to an embodiment of the present invention, each of the
first edges may have a regular shape. In addition, each of the first
edges may have a straight shape, an arc shape, a serrated shape, or a
wavy shape.

[0013]According to an embodiment of the present invention, each of the
second edges may have a regular shape. In addition, each of the first
edges may have a straight shape, an arc shape, a serrated shape, or a
wavy shape.

[0014]According to an embodiment of the present invention, the
heat-dissipating module further comprises a heat-conducting element
thermally coupled to the heat-generating element. The first end of the
heat pipe is thermally coupled to the heat-conducting element.

[0015]According to an embodiment of the present invention, the
heat-dissipating module further comprises a casing having an
accommodating space and an outlet. The fan is disposed in the
accommodating space, the outlet corresponds to the first surface and the
second surface, and the air current passes through the outlet.

[0016]According to an embodiment of the present invention, the second end
of the heat pipe may pass through the first fins and the second fins.

[0017]According to an embodiment of the present invention, the second fins
may be located between the first fins.

[0018]Since the first surface and the second surface don't coincide with
each other, the air current may smoothly pass through the first surface
and the second surface and then pass by the first fins and the second
fins when the heat-dissipating module operates. In other words, as the
heat-dissipating module of the present invention operates, turbulence
occurring when the air current passes through the first surface and the
second surface may be reduced, such that the noise resulted from the
turbulence may be reduced.

[0019]In order to make the aforementioned and other features and
advantages of the present invention more comprehensible, embodiments
accompanied with figures are described in detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020]FIG. 1A is a three-dimensional exploded view of a conventional
heat-dissipating module.

[0021]FIG. 1B is a three-dimensional assembled view of the
heat-dissipating module of FIG. 1A.

[0022]FIG. 2A is a three-dimensional exploded view of a heat-dissipating
module in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0023]FIG. 2B is a three-dimensional assembled view of the
heat-dissipating module of FIG. 2A.

[0024]FIG. 3 is a three-dimensional exploded view of a heat-dissipating
module in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0025]FIG. 4 is a three-dimensional view of another fin module in
accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

First Embodiment

[0026]FIG. 2A is a three-dimensional exploded view of a heat-dissipating
module in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention,
and FIG. 2B is a three-dimensional assembled view of the heat-dissipating
module of FIG. 2A. It should be noted that, for the convenience of
illustration, a first surface 212 and a second surface 214 of FIGS. 2A
and 2B are shown to extend beyond the fin module 210 to clearly show
positional relationship between the first surface 212 and the second
surface 214.

[0027]Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the heat-dissipating module 200 is
adapted for cooling a heat-generating element 20. The heat-dissipating
module 200 includes a fin module 210, a fan 220 and a heat pipe 230. The
fin module 210 includes a plurality of first fins 216a and a plurality of
second fins 216b. Each first fin 216a has a first edge E1 facing the fan
220, and the first edges E1 are located on a first surface 212. Each
second fin 216b has a second edge E2 facing the fan 220, and the second
edges E2 are located on a second surface 214 that does not coincide with
the first surface 212.

[0028]In the present embodiment, the first fins 216a and the second fins
216b are alternately arranged. It should be understood that, however, the
arrangement of the first fins 216a and the second fins 216b may be
changed according to various design requirements. For example, the second
fins 216b may be arranged between the first fins 216a in any manner.
Alternatively, the second fins 216b may not be arranged between the first
fins 216a.

[0029]The fan 220 may be disposed adjacent to the first surface 212 and is
adapted for generating an air current 222. The air current 222 passes
through the first surface 212 and the second surface 214, and then passes
by the first fins 216a and the second fins 216b. In the present
embodiment, the air current 222 first flows through the first surface 212
and the second surface 214 and then into a plurality of clearances 218,
wherein each clearance 218 is formed between the corresponding first fin
216a and the corresponding neighboring second fin 216b. In addition, the
heat pipe 230 includes a first end 232 and a second end 234. The first
end 232 is thermally coupled to the heat-generating element 20, and the
second end 234 may pass through the first fins 216a and the second fins
216b to be thermally coupled to the first fins 216a and the second fins
216b.

[0030]The development of electronic devices (e.g., computers) toward
miniaturization results in the room being smaller and smaller for the
heat-dissipating module 200, and the designer requires that a minimum
distance between the fan 220 and the first surface 212 is kept to be
larger than a predetermined value. Because the first surface 212 and the
second surface 214 don't coincide with each other, the air current 222
may smoothly flow through the first surface 212 and the second surface
214 and then into the clearances 218 during operation of the
heat-dissipating module 200. In other words, as the heat-dissipating
module 200 of the present embodiment operates, turbulence occurring when
the air current 222 passes through the first surface 212 and the second
surface 214 may be reduced, such that the noise resulted from the
turbulence may be reduced. In addition, unlike the conventional
heat-dissipating module, it is unnecessary to reduce the size of the fan
220 of the heat-dissipating module 200 of the present embodiment and the
length L1 of each first fin 216a of the heat-dissipating module 200 of
the present embodiment and, therefore, the heat-dissipating capacity of
the heat-dissipating module 200 of the present embodiment may be good.

[0031]In the present embodiment, each first edge E1 may have a regular
shape and each second edge E2 may have a regular shape. Specifically, the
first fins 216a and the second fins 216b are arranged in a direction D1
and the direction D1 is perpendicular to the maximum heat-dissipating
surface of each first fin 216a and that of each second fin 216b. When
viewed in the direction D1, each first edge E1 may have a straight shape
and each second edge E2 may have an arc shape. In other words, the first
surface 212 may be a plane, and the second surface 214 may be a cambered
surface. However, each first edge E1 and each second edge E2 may have
other shapes as described below according to various requirements.

[0032]In the present embodiment, the heat-dissipating module 200 further
includes a casing 240 and a heat-conducting element 250. The casing 240
has an accommodating space 242 and an outlet 244. The fan 220 is disposed
in the accommodating space 242, the outlet 244 corresponds to the first
surface 212 and the second surface 214, and the air current 222 passes
through the outlet 244. The heat-conducting element 250 is thermally
coupled to the heat-generating element 20, and the first end 232 of the
heat pipe 230 is thermally coupled to the heat-conducting element 250.

Second Embodiment

[0033]FIG. 3 is a three-dimensional exploded view of a heat-dissipating
module in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention.
It should be noted that, for the convenience of illustration, a first
surface 312 and a second surface 314 of FIG. 3 are shown to extend beyond
a fin module 310 to clearly show positional relationship between the
first surface 312 and the second surface 314.

[0034]Referring to FIG. 3, the heat-dissipating module 300 of the second
embodiment is different from the heat-dissipating module 200 of the first
embodiment in that each first fin 316a and each second fin 316b of the
fin module 310 may be similar in shape. In the second embodiment, the
first fins 316a and the second fins 316b are arranged in a direction D2
and the direction D2 is perpendicular to the maximum heat-dissipating
surface of each first fin 316a and that of each second fin 316b. When
viewed in the direction D2, each first edge E3 may have a straight shape
and each second edge E4 may have a straight shape. In other words, a
first surface 312 on which the first edges E3 are located may be a plane,
and a second surface 314 on which the second edges E4 are located may be
a plane. However, the first plane 312 is not coplanar with the second
plane 314.

[0035]FIG. 4 is a three-dimensional view of another fin module in
accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention. It should
be noted that a first edge E3' of each first fin 316a' (one is
schematically shown in FIG. 4) of the fin module 310' may have a serrated
shape or a wavy shape (not shown), and a second edge E4' of each second
fin 316b' (one is schematically shown in FIG. 4) of the fin module 310'
may have a serrated shape or a wavy shape (not shown), depending upon the
designer's requirements. In other words, a first surface 312' on which
the first edges E3' are located may be a folded surface (i.e. corrugated
surface), a second surface 314' on which the second edges E4' are located
may be a folded surface (i.e. corrugated surface), and the first surface
312' does not coincide with the second surface 314'.

[0036]In sum, the heat-dissipating module of the present invention has at
least the following advantages:

[0037]1. Since the first surface and the second surface don't coincide
with each other, the air current may smoothly pass through the first
surface and the second surface and then pass by the first fins and the
second fins when the heat-dissipating module operates. In other words, as
the heat-dissipating module of the present invention operates, turbulence
occurring when the air current passes through the first surface and the
second surface may be reduced, such that the noise resulted from the
turbulence may be reduced.

[0038]2. Unlike the conventional heat-dissipating module, it is
unnecessary to reduce the size of the fan and the length of each first
fin of the heat-dissipating module of the present invention and,
therefore, the heat-dissipating capacity of the heat-dissipating module
of the present invention may be good.

[0039]It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various
modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present
invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In
view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover
modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within
the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.